<p>The Leeville Bridge is a continuing tale of two political extremes.</p><p>On one end, the bridge itself — as part of the ongoing progress in getting La. 1 improved and raised — is a study in efficiency and progress.</p><p>A coalition of businesses, government entities and interested individuals were able to see a project that could have taken many decades become a reality in a number of years.</p><p>The completion of the bridge was a crowning achievement in the sense that it links the vibrant and vital economic engine of Fourchon with the rest of the world.</p><p>It was also a testament to what caring people and organizations could achieve if they worked together to get what they all agreed they need.</p><p>The other extreme, though, has been just as evident in this tale.</p><p>That is one of complete inefficiency and waste.</p><p>The bridge's toll-collection system — which is what the state is using to pay off the loans made to construct the bridge — has been fraught with problems since the bridge's opening.</p><p>The computer system was flawed.</p><p>There were problems collecting tolls.</p><p>The toll system required motorists to stop at roadside kiosks to pay their way rather than simply handing over money at a toll booth the way nearly all other tolls are collected.</p><p>The punishment of those who did not pay the tolls was mired in inefficiency.</p><p>Those who didn't pay the tolls were never punished. And many of those who did pay the tolls received citations in the mail saying that they had not paid.</p><p>Unfortunately, the tale continues.</p><p>A state audit released this week says the state has not even tried to collect money from 300,000 people who did not pay the toll but who nonetheless crossed the bridge.</p><p>While the state has tried to collect money from some, it has not done so for the motorists who live out of state.</p><p>It also never issued citations to people who had toll tags with zero balances on them who continued to use the bridge.</p><p>The significance of the problems is high. The state must collect the tolls to pay for the bridge. It must pay for the bridge to maintain the good side of the story.</p><p>It is absolutely essential that the state work out the remaining issues that are standing between where we are now and the happy outcome that is demanded by the other half of the story.</p><p>The bridge remains an incredible achievement. Paying for it should not be this troublesome.</p><p>Editorials represent the opinions of</p><p>the newspaper, not of any individual.</p>